Remote desert locations, including the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico, southern Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, draw adventurers of all kinds, from the highly skilled and well prepared to urban cowboys who couldn't lead themselves (much less a horse!) to water. David Alloway's goal in this book is to help all of them survive when circumstances beyond their control strand them in the desert environment. In simple, friendly language, enlivened with humor and stories from his own extensive experience, Alloway here offers a practical, comprehensive handbook for both short-term and long-term survival in the Chihuahuan and other North American deserts.
The late David Alloway was an interpretive naturalist at Big Bend Ranch State Park who taught and practiced arid land survival techniques in the United States, Mexico, and Australia for over twenty years.
- Preface: A Philosophy of Survival in the Desert
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: People and the Desert
- 1. Intelligence: The Ultimate Survival Tool
- 2. The Priorities of Desert Survival
- 3. Survival Kits
- 4. Water
- 5. Fire
- 6. Shelter
- 7. Aiding Rescuers
- 8. Expedient Vehicle Repairs and Uses
- 9. Chihuahuan Desert Plant Resources
- 10. Chihuahuan Desert Animal Resources
- 11. Expedient Tools and Weapons
- 12. Weather Hazards
- 13. Desert Hazards, First Aid, and Sanitation
- 14. Traveling and Wayfinding
- 15. Debriefing
- Appendix A. Wilderness Survival Schools
- Appendix B. Equipment Sources
- Glossary
- Selected References
- Index